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Sunday, 28 September 2014

"I fear the day when technology will surpass our human interaction" -Albert Einstein.

And I fear, the day Einstein feared, has come. He also went on to say, "The world will have a generation of idiots". Though I'm not sure about the latter, I'm quite confident of the former.

Today, mobile phones have become the third hand of every individual. Though the major aim of technological advancements is to make life easier and more comfortable, people have gone a step too far and the delicate balance between comfort and luxury has been breached. You see people talking over phones on an intimate date, you see people texting to their friends when they are out for a quiet dinner with their family, you see people playing Angry Birds game when they are supposed to listen to lectures, you see people viewing their Facebook page when they are supposed to prepare for their examination and you even see people, who kind of get depressed and irritable, when their phones die off low battery. So the big question arises - is this comfort or arrogance?

There was once a time when people inhabited the 'real' world more often. They came out of their houses to play in the open, they made friends, they shared food and even spoke to others face to face. They climbed trees, picked fruits to eat, flew kites and shouted at the top of their voices from their terrace. They were fit, as they had good exercise. They were healthy, as their diet was nutritious. They were happy, as they had real relationships and appreciated the value of life. They never knew a virtual world existed, nor did they want to know. They were so happy and so content in their own way.

Days passed by, months passed by and years passed by. Technological advancements, claiming to soften your work and make you more comfortable, arrived. People started leaving the real world and inhabiting the virtual world. Making friends consisted of sending friend requests. They talked to others without even having seen them, and even claimed that they were their best pals. 'Catching up' consisted of sending an occasional 'Good Morning' forward message. Photos were taken not for cherishing sweet memories, but for getting as many 'likes' as possible. On anniversaries, you are supposed to update your status and get wishes from whoever sees that post. Such wishes and congratulatory messages became just words from the keyboard and not words from the heart. People started staring at their laptops and mobile, forgetting everyone sitting around them. On many occasions, people were only physically present. Relationships got sour and social unrest increased.

And now, my next question - should we blame the technology or ourselves for this condition? It is Man, who used toxic chemicals to a great extent and put a hole in the ozone layer. It is the same Man, who sent a satellite to space to monitor the ozone layer and try fix it. Technology is not the Satan, as some people believe it to be, nor is it the Guardian Angel. Any kid, in any elocution competition, would have spoken that technology has both good and bad effects. True! Though it has been one of the reasons for the above said problems, it is without doubt the result of man's endless quest for knowledge and has, in many ways, served to make the world a better place to live in. So, once again, the responsibility has been thrust upon the people. All the technological advancements today, right from a satellite to a mobile phone, are our creations and should always remain under our control.

Normally, the problem with people is that they never understand the value of something unless it is taken away from them. You are given a life, you are given a sweet family and friends and you are given the technology to connect to everyone. Make sure that you don't do something that you may regret at a later time.